Lemon Lime Bean Medley Salad

As the warmer weather sets in, we don’t have to leave our beans and legumes on the side for next winter. We can prepare them in lighter ways, like in tasty salads.

When I made that scrumptious lentil loaf, I had extra cooked lentils and beans. The following day, I pulled them out of the refrigerator and decided to experiment with putting them together in a salad. I had black radish and carrots on hand so I shredded those and added them to the beans and lentils. Black radish has a milder taste than the red and white radishes we are used to. Daikon is another similar tasting root vegetable which is even milder than the black radish and would also work well here. You can try any of these and see what you prefer. I love ginger, so I added a little, in addition to my other lovely immune-boosting staples: garlic and onion. I chose red onion for its slightly sweeter taste; it’s quite pleasant in salads.

For the dressing, I got bold and went with not just lemon or lime, but both! Hey, why not? I chose flaxseed oil, rather than olive oil, to add some healthy omega-3s to this dish. Flaxseed oil is wonderful for raw dishes, but should not be used for cooking. I added some aromatic fresh chopped parsley for garnish (cilantro would be another delicious alternative garnish), along with hemp seeds. Cayenne for a kick, but of course this is completely optional.

I am totally convinced that one of the secrets to making food as tasty as possible is choosing to use sea salt, rather than simple table salt. My favorite tasting salt is the pink Himalayan sea salt and that’s what I use all the time. Try different ones and see what you like best.

Enjoy this zesty, light-tasting salad!

Lemon Lime Bean Medley Salad

Ingredients:

Makes approximately 3-4 servings

1 cup cooked lentils, cooled

1 cup cooked beans, any variety, cooled

4 carrots, peeled

3 black radishes, peeled or 1 daikon, peeled

1 small piece of ginger, peeled

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

Juice from one lemon

Juice from one lime

3 tablespoons flax seed oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons shelled hemp seeds

Method:

Shred carrots, black radish or daikon and ginger in a food processor.

Combine all ingredients, except the hemp seeds and parsley, in a large bowl. Mix well.

Garnish with chopped parsley and hemp seeds. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

To become wholly compassionate requires us to open our eyes and hearts, to behold the pain and exploitation our culture obscures, to arouse deadened emotions, and to rise above our egos. ~ Joanne Stepaniak

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Formerly earning a living as a corporate lawyer, turned vegan chef, Maria Amore, now feels she is making a difference in the world through her true love: vegan cooking! Passionate about animals, nature, books, holistic health, meditation and cooking, so long as Maria is learning, she is happy. Maria published a cookbook, Cooking With Amore, with over 100 vegan recipes she created. Before moving to Mexico, she taught vegan cooking at McGill University. She is also a volunteer and foster family for abandoned animals. When people say, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, she whole-heartedly says, “I am”.